TARBORO, N.C. — September 12, 2013 — Are lionfish quickly becoming a nuisance and threatening our native North Carolina reef fish populations? Those experts in the marine sciences give an emphatic yes. The nagging question begging an answer is what to do about it.
Known in the scientific community as Pterois volitans, lionfish are typically one-pound, foot-long, reef bottom feeders with venomous spines that have no natural predators, and are starting to overpopulate, damaging the ecological balance of the reefs off our North Carolina coast.
Could this be an ecological disaster that will resonate in due time in the commercial and sport fishing community? Absolutely. Experts theorize lionfish will continue to multiply greatly and impact reef life negatively.
Lionfish reach sexual maturity very quickly. A single female spawns 2 million eggs a year. As fish go, they have a long life-span, exceeding several decades.
Native to tropical Pacific and Indian oceans, the lionfish problems and concerns are relatively new to this area, and have been only recently on North Carolina marine scientists’ agendas and watch lists.
For many, introduction to lionfish has been through commercial and home aquariums. These candy-striped fish with venomous spines are interesting to observe in an aquarium atmosphere.
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